FRIDAY, DEC. 31, 2010

A Spokane man is in jail after two children he was towing on a sled behind an ATV slammed into a parked police car, sending the kids to the hospital. Police say Ramon D. Noggles, 33, was under the influence of alcohol when the collision...

A 30-time felon described by police as a "one-man crime wave" is headed to a Washington prison for a short-lived crime spree in Spokane last spring. Ricky Wayne Everett, 33, was sentenced to 43 months in prison this month for theft of a motor vehicle....

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio drunken-driving suspect is blaming his arrest on Ozzy Osbourne. William Liston was arrested Christmas Eve in suburban Cleveland. WJW-TV says he told police officers, "Ozzy Osbourne and his music made me do it." Osbourne's hits as lead singer of heavy...

THURSDAY, DEC. 30, 2010

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state pharmacy board has voted to adopt a rule that would ban the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana. The board's emergency rule would mirror new Federal Drug Enforcement Administration rules banning five chemicals used to make synthetic marijuana....

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Supreme Court ruled today that it was OK for corrections officials to move a death row inmate to solitary confinement after a special housing unit that allowed him more privileges was closed due to budget cuts. In a 7-2...

A Spokane Valley businessman pleaded guilty Wednesday to several counts of hiding financial transactions concerning the sale of stolen metals and agreed to forfeit about $1.4 million in cash, property and vehicles purchased with proceeds of the illegal transactions. Craig A. Dickson entered a plea...

A Spokane woman who was driving a stolen SUV when her passenger allegedly fired shots at a police officer has been sentenced to more than six years in prison. Margaret D. Shults, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery earlier this month and was sentenced to...

A Spokane man involved in a carjacking that led to a fiery crash that killed his girlfriend has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Michael L. Olson, 32, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and two counts of tampering with a witness and was sentenced...

A burglary spree at Spokane convenience stores last winter recently earned a 30-year-old man about two years in prison. Michael L. Yamaguchi was sentenced to 29 months in prison for burglary and car theft charges related to eight burglaries, a few in which cars stolen...

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29, 2010

In the case of one Spokane man, the bear parts do not make up the sum of a felony. Appellate judges on Tuesday overturned the felony wildlife trafficking conviction of 52-year-old Jason M. Yon, after he paid $800 for four bear gallbladders in 2008 to...

Kootenai County’s former chief deputy clerk is suspected of embezzling $138,905 over a 10-year period ending in October, a Coeur d’Alene Police Department spokesman said this morning. Sandy Martinson, 62, has not been charged or arrested, said Sgt. Christie Wood with the Coeur d’Alene Police....

A convicted sex offender already under investigation for possessing child pornography was jailed recently after a new investigation revealed ongoing illegal activity, according to court documents. Shawn P. Sather, 34, was ordered to stay in Spokane County Jail without bail after appearing in U.S. District...

Detectives are hoping for fresh clues in an armed bank robbery Dec. 2 in Spokane Valley. A gunman demanded cash from two tellers at Sterling Savings Bank, 11205 E. Sprague Ave., about 2:25 p,.m. after walking into the bank with his gun already displayed, according...

A Spokane man is accused of raping a man in a downtown parking lot last weekend. Jonathan M. Ricardo, 31, is in jail on $150,000 bond for a second-degree rape charge. He was arrested Sunday after the alleged victim told police he was raped after...

The daughter of a Spokane woman accused of helping her 14-year-old grandson sell crack cocaine is facing a lengthy federal prison sentence for the same drug. Nicole D. Hilliard is "doing well" in treatment for drug treatment and is expected to participate until the middle...

A convicted sex offender with a lengthy criminal history in Oregon is accused of molesting a Post Falls girl. Roy L. Goldsborough, 51, is in Kootenai County Jail on $500,000 for one charge of lewd conduct with a minor. He’s accused of sexually abusing a...

A Spokane man celebrated the holiday in jail after he was teargassed and arrested during an hours-long Christmas Eve standoff. Robert T. Finkbeiner, 44, is set for trial next month for allegedly shooting a woman in her leg last March during a fight over a...

TUESDAY, DEC. 28, 2010

Two men arrested last week may each be the Inland Northwest's version of the Grinch. Steven J. Karvela, 39, is suspected of stealing Christmas package from Spokane homes, then selling the would-be gifts at pawn shops. Joseph Michael O’Masters, 43, of Hayden Lake, was arrested...

Longtime Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan is being transferred to the office’s internal affairs staff. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said today that he wants to hire a civilian to handle spokesman duties because he needs to fill a sergeant’s position in the division...

Patrol officers arrested a suspected bank robber Monday night after detectives in the Tri-Cities tracked him to northwest Spokane. John T. Walker, 22, was arrested as he fled from a home at 2733 W. Wellesley Ave., about 9:45 p.m., according to a search warrant filed...

THURSDAY, DEC. 23, 2010

Merry Christmas from Sirens & Gavels! The blog will return Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, enjoy this festive video from the police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Made last year, their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" hasn't lost its holiday cheer.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Call it a ho-ho-holdup. Police say a man dressed as Santa Claus has robbed a Rhode Island yacht club. Authorities say a bartender was alone in the East Providence Yacht Club Sunday night when a large man wearing a red...

A woman seriously injured in a hammer attack that killed another woman is improving at a Coeur d'Alene hospital. Lorraine Y. Wallis, 58, has been upgraded to fair condition, Kootenai Medical Center employees said Wednesday. Wallis was in critical condition after being beaten with a...

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A construction worker who killed a promising rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels and two other people in a horrific drunken driving crash said Wednesday he had all but ended his own life that night by getting behind the...

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22, 2010

KENT, Wash. (AP) — Police say a suspect in a fatal Halloween shooting in Kent has an extensive criminal history. The 20-year-old Auburn man was caught Tuesday night after detectives got a tip, followed a car and chased down a passenger who tried to run...